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3x3x3 Rubik's Cube
The 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube was the first one of these puzzles to be invented and its invention was the catalyst of the invention of all other special Rubik's Cube, larger Rubik's Cubes, and Rubik's Cube shape modifications. The 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube can be arranged in 43 quintilion (43,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 4.3*10^19) ways, meaning that there are 43 quintillion possible permutations. The 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube consists of 26 pieces: 6 centers, 8 corners, and 12 edges. There is no piece in the middle of the 3x3x3x Rubik's Cube because the middle is where the core turning mechanism is contained. There are six faces with the following colors on them: white, yellow, green, blue, red and orange (note that some 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube not manufactured by the Rubiks company may have different colors on them). All Rubik's Cube have those same colors on their six faces. It was invented by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik in 1974. Ernő Rubik was the first person to solve a Rubik's Cube and did so while it was still in its prototype stage. It took him 3 months to solve it for the first time. There are quite a few indirect advantages of solving a Rubik's Cube that can help your brain become sharper. Solving a Rubik's Cube can better your eye-hand coordination, improve your concentration in general, and ensure that you are able to process your thoughts faster. Notation Here is the Rubik's Cube notation that is used in sequences called algorithms to solve it. A letter means a turn 90 degrees clockwise. An apostrophe or "i" after a letter means invert or prime. This means the move is to be performed in the opposite direction or 90 degrees counterclockwise. A "2" beside a letter means to perform the move two times, rotating 180 degrees. There are two Rubik's Cube notations: one is the basic notation and one is the advanced notation. A Rubik's Cube has six faces and each one is represented with a letter: R, L, U, D, F, or B. When you see these letters in algorithms, it means to rotate that face 90 degrees clockwise. Basic Notation Advanced Notation This is the advanced Rubik's Cube notation. It is used for solving Rubik's Cubes faster and for simplifying algorithms. In basic notation, the letters are always capitalized because a lowercase letter indicates turning two layers at once (rotate both the corresponding face and the central layer above it), which is used in advanced notation. Double layers turns are sometimes marked with a "2" in front of the letter to indicate grabbing two layers or with a "w" behind the letter. In advanced notation, there are also middle layer turns or slice turns. Middle layer rotations or slice turns are not simply the rotations of two opposite layers because these moves reposition the centre cubelets too. Whole cube reorientations are occasionally seen in advanced notation. Although whole cube reorientations are never necessary for solving a Rubik's Cube, they are sometimes used in algorithms. "x" means to rotate the whole cube along the axis that connects R and L, rotating 90 degrees clockwise in the direction of a R move. "y" means to rotate the whole cube along the axis that connects U and D, rotating 90 degrees clockwise in the direction of a U move. "z" means to rotate the whole cube along the axis that connects F and B, rotating 90 degrees clockwise in the direction of a F move. Piece Notation Piece notation is used to represent pieces on a Rubik's Cube. This makes it much easier to talk about pieces on a Rubik's Cube. Each piece can be represented with a letter or group of letters. The center piece of each face is represented with the letter name of the face. For example, the center piece of the F face would be represented with the letter "F". Edge pieces are represented by the letter of the two faces it is attached to. For example, the edge between the U face and the F face would be represented with "FU". A corner piece is represented by the three faces it belongs to. For example the corner attached to the F face, R face, and U face would be represented with "FRU". Solution To solve a Rubik's Cube several algorithms need to be memorized. Fortunately, after memorizing the 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube algorithms, there are much less algorithms that need to be remembered for solving larger cubes. There is a basic/beginner's solving method and an advanced solving method (CFOP). It is recommended that you learn the beginner's solution method before moving on to CFOP. Click here for an online Rubik's Cube Solver. Basic/Beginner's Solution This is a layer-by-layer solving method. White Cross Hold your cube with the white face facing up. The first step is to make the white cross (making a cross with any color works, but solving the white cross first is more common). This step is mostly intuitive and it would be better for you to try to do it on your own. You will feel more of a sense of accomplishment that way. Remember that the center pieces on a 3x3x3x Rubik's Cube never change position so they indicate the color of the face. Hold your cube with the face with the white center/Rubik's logo facing up. When moving an edge piece up, remember to consider the color of the two faces that you are moving it to. If you are moving it to the spot between the white face and the red face make sure that the edge has both white and red on it. This step is complete when you have made a white cross, with all edge pieces in the right position. White Corners Hold your cube with the white face facing up. The next step is to fill in the white corners on the white cross. Once again, before moving the corner up, consider the color of the center pieces of the centers that you are moving it between. If you are moving a corner to a spot between the white, blue, and orange face, make sure that that corner has all of those colors on it. This step is complete when the white face is solved, with all corners in the right position. Second Layer Hold your cube with the white face on the bottom. In this step, you move down all of the the edge pieces on the top to their corresponding positons on the right or on the left. Before applying the algorithm, take note of the color of the faces you are moving the piece beside. If you are moving a red and orange edge piece down, make sure you are moving it to the spot between the red and the orange face. This step is finished when the entire second layer is complete with all the edge pieces in the right position. Yellow Cross Hold your cube with the white face on the bottom. There are three possible cases for the top layer. If a case on the top layer has a few more yellow pieces than a pattern, but does not make it another pattern, it is that pattern. The following algorithm can get you from one case to the next, but repeating the algorithm is not always the fastest: F R U R' U' F. CFOP Credits https://www.ruwix.com https://www.google.com http://w.astro.berkeley.edu/~converse/rubiks.php?id1=basics&id2=notation https://www.rubikspace.com Category:Rubik's Cubes